


One Step At A Time

by taichara



Category: Gundam SEED & Cosmic Era Gundam
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:29:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5742058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinn is not about to let Rey go alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step At A Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/gifts).



For the second time that night, a tortured howl had Shinn rocketing across the darkened bedroom before he was even entirely awake.

Rocketing across his bedroom, and Rey's; flinging himself across the space between their paired beds to check still-remaining sutures and dressings and look for any new injury (unlikely, damn near impossible even, but he just couldn't shake that fear), to reassure and soothe and just _talk_ until whatever horror that came and stalked Rey even in his sleep --

Rey was already awake this time, struggling upright despite pain and drug regimens to reach half-blindly towards Shinn, eye white-rimmed with terror. Without a heartbeat's hesitation Shinn anchored himself on the side of the bed, caught Rey carefully in his arms, felt his friend's shudders start to subside almost instantly.

With a tiny sigh that was half sob, Rey went limp against Shinn's chest.

"... I saw ... I saw ..."

"Shhh ..."

He didn't need to hear the words. That special kind of hell was one that Shinn was all too familiar with; one he was going to have inflicted on Rey over his own dead body.

_No one else needs to be the last one standing._

_Not Rey. Not anyone._

Carefully he started to stroke Rey's hair, mindful of the stitching in his scalp. A little part of him still felt a bit awkward with that sort of attention; but if it worked, it worked.

"... why did I ..."

"It doesn't matter now. Really, Rey, it doesn't. We need -- we need to keep on going, and we can do it together. I'm going to be here as long as you want me to be."

"Shinn ... But I ..."

Shinn firmed up his hold and shook his head emphatically, staring over Rey's blonde crown into the room's all-concealing dimness. In the dark he hardly saw the ghastly scarring, the still-healing wounds ... 

"I don't care what you did. I don't care what you are -- what's important is _who_ you are. And that's Rey Za Burrel, not some other guy. Don't believe anything else.

"We don't need the Plan or anything else. You'll make your own future, and I'll be there with you when you do."


End file.
